Slag-car coupling.



No. 799,966. PATENTBD SEPT. 19, 1905.

B. Hl. BBNNETTS & L. J. W. JONES. SLAG GAR GOUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAE.9,1905.

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NITED STATES PATENT operen.

NJAMIN H. BENNETTS AND. LLEWELLYN J. lV. JONES, OF TAOOMA, WASHINGTON.

SLAG-CAR COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.

Application filed March 9, 1905. Serial No. 249,266.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN H. BEN- NETTs, formerly a citizen of Tasmania, and LLEWELLYN J. W. JONES, formerly a citizen of Great Britain, but both having taken out our naturalization papers in the United States of America, residents of Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Slag-Car Couplers, of which the` following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to couplers adapted for use on slag-cars and similar small cars, and is especially adapted for use on our irnproved slag-car patented May 8, 1904, No. 785,812.

The objects of our invention are to provide a device which is simple in construction, detachable from the slag-car, will act as a drawbar or a push-bar, will space the cars conveniently, will automatically couple the cars when set and when they are put in motion, and which when reversed in position will not act as a coupler. We attain these objects by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side view showing a pair of our couplers in use, portions of the slag-cars being removed to show said couplers. Fig.

.2 is a simllar view showing one coupler in use, another coupler in the act of falling into position, and the third coupler set and ready to be brought into its coupling position. Fig. 3 is a similar view of a single slag-car with a coupler reversed. Fig. 4 is a side view of the coupler.

Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings we have illustrated our invention as applied to our improved slag-car above mentioned, the axles l of which are indicated as being square, this being the preferred shape. Each car has two axles l, and said axles are secured together through the I-beams 2 in any convenient manner. A single coupling-bar is provided for each car and is adapted to engage the forward axle of the car it belongs to and to extend forward therefrom to engage the rear axle of the car next preceding'. This bar 3 is formed of sufficiently stiff metal so as to act either as a draw-bar or a push-bar and is formed with jaws at each end. These jaws are preferably made by bending the ends of the bar 3 down, as at 4, and by forging on Aa triangular piece having one side to form part of the jaw and the other side forming an inclined surface from the barv 3 to the edge of the jaw. This triangular piece 5 is not as deep as the turned-down ends 4 of the bar 3, so that the outer sides of the jaws are deepest. Vire prefer to make the inner side of the jaw practically as deep as the axle 1 and the distance between the parts 4 and 5, forming the jaw, slightly greater than the thickness of the axle.

In Fig. 3 we have illustrated how our coupler is carried by a slag-car when it is uncoupled from a train and it is not set for coupling. In Fig. 2 is shown, on the left hand, the position the coupler is placed in (lying on the axle of the cars) when it is set for coupling. In Fig. l and the right-hand end of Fig. Q is shown the coupler when in its working position, and on the central portion of Fig. 2 is shown a coupler in the act of being coupled. From the views it will be readily understood that when not in use the coupler is reversed, with its jaws upward, and rests on the two axles of a single slag-car; that when set for coupling it is thrown across the adjacent axles of two slag-cars, with its jaws downward; that las soonas one car moves away from the other the axle slides along the bar until it strikes the triangular piece by means of which it raises the bar, and the outer end of the jaw being deeper than theinner end the axle catches thereon and the bar falls with its jaw around the axle, and that then the same action takes place at the other end of the coupler between the stationary slag-car and the coupler lying on its forward axle. Since thefjaw is wider than the axle, it slides easily over it, and suiicient room is allowed for the tilting of the bar when one end thereof is being lifted on the inclined piece thereof. The coupler acts as a draw-bar by the downturned ends 4 engaging the axles, but as a push-bar by the pieces 5 engaging the axle. When a number of slag-carsare placed close together, as at the left-hand end of Fig. 2, and the coupling-bars thrown from car to car, as above described, then when the train is started the rst car moves and makes .a coupling with the second. Then it moves and couples with the third, and so on consecutively throughout the length of the train, first the forward end and then the rear end IOO of each coupling -Vbar falling into engagement with the axles of the cars.

Having now described our invention, we clairn- 1. A slag-car coupler comprising a bar hav' ing vertical jaws at its ends adapted to engage the rear and front axles of adjacent slag-cars.

2. A slag-carcoupler comprising a bar having vertical jaws at its ends, the inner and outer sides of each jaw being vertical and being adapted to engage the front and rear axles of adjacent slag-cars to transmit therebetween a pushing or pulling' force.

8. A slag-car coupler comprising abar having vertical jaws at its ends, the outer sides of each jaw being formed by the downturned ends of the bar, and the inner sides being formed b v the vertical edges of lugs on said bar adjacent to its ends.

4. A slag-carcoupler comprising a bar having vertical jaws at its ends, the outer sides of each jaw being formed b v the downturned ends of the bar, the inner sides being formed by the vertical edges of two lugs on said bar adjacent toits ends, said lugs having their adjacent sides forming inclines from the level of the bar to the jaw, the inner sides of the jaws being shorter than the outer sides thereof.

5. A slag-car coupler comprising a fiat bar with downwardly-open vertical jaws at its ends and adapted to lie on the rear and front axles of adjacent slag-cars and to allow said rear axle to slide thereunder until it is engaged by one of said jaws, and to slide over the front axle of the succeeding car until said axle is engaged by the other jaw.

In testirnonj7 whereof we aiix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN H. BENNETTS. LLEVVELLYN J. W. JONES.

Vitnesses:

F. W. CLARK, M. A. VAN HOUSE. 

